Awais Rehman, now 20 years old and residing in Watergall, Bretton, Peterborough, has admitted to committing serious sexual offences against two women on a footpath in Peterborough in 2017. The attacks, which involved rape and sexual assault, took place on the Bretton cycle and footpath near the A47 and Rhubarb Bridge.
On the morning of 30 September 2017, Rehman, then a teenager, targeted his first victim, a 24-year-old woman who was walking along the footpath. According to court details reported by Cambs Times, Rehman ran up behind her, pulled a large kitchen knife from his trousers, and forced her into nearby bushes after she screamed. He raped her there, after which the victim fled and reported the incident to police. Forensic analysis of DNA recovered from the victim's shirt provided a crucial link, with experts stating there was a 'one in a billion' chance it did not belong to Rehman.
Just a week later, on 6 October 2017, Rehman struck again on the same footpath. He approached another woman from behind, slapped her on the bottom, grabbed her by the arms, and demanded her bag, threatening her in the process. He made off with her handbag, which was later found in nearby bushes, though her bank cards and £20 were missing. This incident involved sexual assault and robbery.
The case entered the court system in 2018, but Rehman was initially ruled unfit to stand trial in November of that year. He was subsequently tried in absentia at Cambridge Crown Court, where a jury found him guilty of rape and sexual assault. In May 2019, at the age of 17, Rehman was sentenced to an indefinite hospital order. Deemed fit to plead late in 2021, he appeared at Cambridge Crown Court on 22 July 2022, where he pleaded guilty to rape, threatening a person with a blade, robbery, and two counts of sexual assault. Sentencing is scheduled for 2 September 2022 at the same court.
Detective Constable Denise Brown, who led the investigation for Cambridgeshire Constabulary alongside Superintendent Adam Gallop and Detective Inspector Gordon Blair, described the case as unforgettable. 'This is a case I will personally never forget and highlights our sheer determination to bring offenders like Rehman to justice,' she said. 'It took us nine months to track him down; we issued media appeals and an e-fit image but it was good old fashioned police work that led us to him in the end after we knocked on his door and took his DNA, which linked him forensically to these horrific sex offences.'
Following his arrest, Rehman claimed the encounter with the first victim was consensual but provided 'no comment' responses to other questions. The impact on the victims has been profound, with DC Brown noting that the sexual assault victim now avoids going out alone and suffers regular panic attacks, while the rape victim lives in fear and has contemplated suicide. The case was featured on Channel 4's 24 Hours in Police Custody, where one victim shared her story, inspiring others to come forward.